Driving High Means A DUI

This petition will be delivered to the:
Honorable Elaine Chao, Secretary of Transportation
National Governors Association,
National Council on State Legislators (NSCL)

WHEREAS: Marijuana significantly impairs a driver’s judgment, motor coordination, and reaction time;WHEREAS: Multiple studies have demonstrated that drivers with any amount of THC in their blood were approximately twice as likely to cause a fatal crash as drivers without any drugs in their blood;WHEREAS: Combining marijuana with alcohol dramatically increases the risk of a crash;WHEREAS:Instamotor found 39 percent of surveyed marijuana users felt comfortable driving high in the nine states where the drug has been legalized, while 55 percent of Colorado marijuana users reported they felt driving after use was safe in a separate Colorado Department of Transportation survey;WHEREAS: An analysis of insurance claims in Colorado, Oregon and Washington by the Highway Loss Data Institute found crashes were up 16 percent in Colorado, 6.2 percent in Washington, and 4.5 percent in Oregon since marijuana was legalized in those states;WHEREAS: The percentage of American drivers killed in car crashes who tested positive for drugs now exceeds those killed in crashes who tested positive for alcohol according to a report by the Governors Highway Safety Association;

BE IT RESOLVED: We urge You to support increased public education on the dangers of marijuana-impaired driving and provide more tools for law enforcement to prevent additional drugged driving tragedies.

Some states have now passed legislation legalizing marijuana. While these laws permit the use of marijuana, they all prohibit driving under its influence. Unfortunately, many people still perceive driving after marijuana use isn’t as dangerous as drinking and driving. But the insurance industry is already reporting higher collision claims in states with legal marijuana.

Impaired driving laws were written to deal with alcohol and generally do a poor job dealing with drugged driving. Therefore, drugged drivers frequently escape prosecution, which means no conviction, which means no punishment or accountability, which means no justice for the victim/survivor and no rehabilitation for the perpetrator, which means no protection for society.